Each step echoing up the stairs resonated through the building, the lights flickering second after second. Only the red glow remained intact.
With a push, the door swung open and the sound spread throughout the room.
Inside the room, a vial filled with red liquid floated in the center, radiating an energy so intense it illuminated the entire space. That pulsating glow was unlike any other energy.
Nemor and Barzar stood before the elixir.
Nemor kept his eyes fixed, mesmerized. His red hair floated gently. His hands reached toward the vial, guided by the blind desire to obtain it. He saw nothing but it.
Barzar, just behind him, followed Nemor's every step. His eyes were also glued to the vial, feeling that energy that was almost unbearably powerful.
Nemor's hands were almost touching the elixir, a look of pure pleasure on his face.
But before he could reach it, triangular blue lines appeared on their foreheads.
Nemor and Barzar's bodies froze in place, as if paralyzed. Only their fingers moved slowly.
Their vision remained on the elixir, but their consciousness drifted elsewhere.
Deep in Nemor's mind, he stood in an entirely blue place, an infinite space. His eyes showed confusion and turmoil.
— You can't take it. You don't need it. You already have me.
A voice echoed in his head. A beautiful, childlike, sweet voice.
Nemor tried to respond, to take a step, but the blue triangles reappeared. Everything began to spin. The blue place dissolved.
When he opened his eyes again, he was somewhere else. But not as an adult. A memory from the past surfaced.
In a dark room, inside a recollection.
The TV light dimly illuminated the environment. The cold floor pressed against the boy's body — thin, barefoot, dirty red hair. A five‑year‑old boy, eyes hollow, who never had a home.
The smell inside was unbearable, filled with cigarette smoke. His mother sat on the couch, next to a vulgar‑looking man.
— Is that brat yours? — muttered the man, exhaling smoke in the boy's direction.
The woman clenched her teeth, bothered by her son's presence.
— Do you really think I'd have a child like that? — she said, disdainfully.
The man grinned cruelly.
— You think I don't know? A woman like you would never have a kid like that.
The boy lowered his head, anxious, biting his lips.
— He's annoying. Don't you think?
— Why are you still here? Get out.
— But… but…
— But what? Get out, you piece of shit!
— But mom… I'm hungry…
The man got up and mercilessly slapped Nemor's face. Silence engulfed the room.
— You did well. Now kick him out.
The man grabbed the boy by the arms and threw him against a trash bucket.
The boy, too weak to resist, managed only a whisper:
— Hungry… eat… I'm hungry…
Trash fell on him. The smell was unbearable.
Slowly, he stood up, tears marking his eyes.
Then she appeared.
A girl with bi‑colored hair, red and green, wearing a baggy kimono, with crystal‑blue eyes.
— It's okay. You don't need to cry. You don't need them. You have me, brother. And if I get lost, you'll always find me!
Her voice was sweet. Her smile gentle. Nemor frowned, confused but relieved.
Before he could respond, the triangular lines returned to his forehead.
The world spun again.
Now he was elsewhere, still five years old, alone. She wasn't there.
He walked barefoot. Children played nearby, but stopped when they saw him.
— What a stinky brat! — one sneered.
— Bet he'll die in a ditch — said another.
Stones began to be thrown.
— Shut… shut your mouths… — murmured Nemor.
Then he felt something. A small gentle hand holding his.
It was her again. Wen.
— It's not true. You are perfect as you are. They don't know it, but I do. You are my brother!
Her smile was pure. Nemor trembled, but now something new arose in him: hope.
— I have a sister? You like me? Are you my sister?
He smiled, twisted, incredulous, feeling a miracle forming.
— Yes! That's right! I am your sister and I like you just as you are, little brother!
She squeezed his hand softly.
— You don't need the elixir. You only need to find me.
The triangular lines reappeared.
Everything spun again.
---
Inside Barzar's mind, a somber hospital. The smell of medicine filled the place.
Barzar lay on the floor, leaning against the wall. His tears formed puddles on the floor. His eyes screamed he no longer wanted to live.
— I'm sorry, Hika. I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve to die. I should have died in your place!
He rose slowly, but powerless to move forward.
— Why… why can't I remember your face? Am I so pathetic?
He pulled at his hair, rage consuming his soul.
Then he felt the touch.
A small, cold, gentle hand.
And before him stood a three‑year‑old girl, bicolor hair, crystal eyes, red kimono.
— Why are you crying, brother? We need to go home. I don't like hospitals!
Her smile was pure and bright.
Barzar's eyes widened. His mind refused to believe.
— No… my sister… is dead. This can't be real!
She stepped closer nonetheless.
— No, brother. You aren't dreaming. I'm here for you. But for us to be together, you need to find me. You don't need the elixir. You already have me!
Barzar wiped away tears, slowly, feeling years of regret dissolve. A soft smile formed. He had not failed. She was alive.
The triangular lines returned, and everything spun.
---
The red glow emanated from the elixir, but Nemor and Barzar's eyes opened. Their minds finally returned.
Now, it wasn't power that drove them. It was something deeper.
They knew.
She was alive.
— I'm going to find you… my sister.
The elixir no longer mattered.
The true prize… was finding her again.